As the popularity of video games grows, and more games are offered in the marketplace, video game developers continue to try to provide innovative game play to video game players, or gamers. Multiplayer video games have become increasingly popular in the video game industry over recent years, allowing players to compete against one another. The advent of online multiplayer gaming networks, such as the Xbox® LIVE gaming network provided by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., has made it easier than ever for gamers to find one another and to play multiplayer games.
One popular genre of multiplayer games is the first-person shooter (FPS) genre. A FPS game can be characterized by the player's on-screen view of the game simulating that of the character's view, i.e., first person view. In FPS games, the player has full control over a character and can interact directly with the environment. In a multiplayer game, each player attempts to accomplish a goal within the game, either alone or in conjunction with other teammates with whom the player is playing the game. Goals include “killing” other player characters a certain number of times, capturing another team's flag, and launching an assault on another team's base, to name a few.
Many third-person shooters (e.g., where the player sees the game world from a viewpoint above and/or behind the main character) are often conceptually paired with first-person shooters, due to similarities in gameplay. In addition, some games have allowed the player to toggle the game between both viewpoints, first person view and third person view, to suit the player's preference or needs at various points during the game.
In recent years, some consider that FPS game development has stagnated, where each new FPS game provides a new storyline, while the gameplay remains the same as previous iterations of FPS games. This causes gamers to quickly get bored and lose interest in new games, and also to seek alternative forms of entertainment, e.g., a different game.